Independent publisher Arcade Publishing suddenly released Woody Allen’s new memoir “Apropos of Nothing” on Monday, just over two weeks after after it was dropped by Hachette amid a firestorm by employees.
“The book is a candid and comprehensive personal account by Woody Allen of his life,” Arcade announced according to the Associated Press, which first reported on the release. The topics range “from his childhood in Brooklyn through his acclaimed career in film, theater, television, print and standup comedy, as well as exploring his relationships with family and friends.”
Financial terms for the publication of the 400-page book were not disclosed, according to the AP. A rep for Arcade Publishing did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Hachette Book Group dropped plans to publish the memoir on March 6, one day after dozens of the company’s employees staged a walkout to protest the book’s acquisition. The book had been scheduled for an April 7 release, but the company returned all rights to Allen.
The book’s acquisition by Grand Central Publishing, a Hachette imprint, was first announced in early March. The book had previously struggled to find a publisher; last year, the New York Times reported that executives at four of the major publishing houses turned down the book in light of daughter Dylan Farrow’s resurfaced accusations that Allen had molested her as a 7-year-old. (Allen has repeatedly denied the accusation and was never charged with a crime following two separate police investigations in the 1990s.)
In response to the employee walkout, Dylan Farrow tweeted that she was “unbelievably overwhelmed and so incredibly grateful for the solidarity demonstrated by” the Hachette employees. “From the bottom of my heart, thank you,” Farrow wrote.
And Allen’s son Ronan Farrow also denounced the publisher — which had also published his own best-seller “Catch and Kill” through its Little, Brown imprint.